The Integral Trees

In Larry Niven's captivating audiobook, the crew of the spaceship Discipline sets out on a standard mission for interstellar exploration, monitored by the emotionless AI, Sharls Davis Kendy. However, their routine assignment takes an unexpected turn when they encounter the Smoke Ring, a mysterious gaseous envelope rich in unique life-forms, forcing them to abandon their ship. Five hundred years later, their descendants inhabit the Smoke Ring, with Earth fading into legend, but Kendy remains aware of their origins as Discipline awaits to reconnect with its lost crew.